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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — a subject
  22. net — after costs
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com